Dedicated to supporting students
Our strong commitment to all our students can be seen through the student support package that we provide, allowing students to study for their degree, knowing they are supported in the living costs, as well as for their tuition. Since 2018, following a fully independent and comprehensive review (undertaken by Professor Sir Ian Diamond), Welsh Government proudly implemented a support package focussing on making sure students, undergraduate and postgraduate, full time and part time, were fully supported throughout their learning. This has helped students to focus on their learning, knowing they had the necessary support in place for their living costs, with those students from more disadvantaged backgrounds having access to the highest levels of grants. The results of the reforms are significant, with a 79% increase in first year, full-time post-graduates from Wales since 2016/17, and a 31% increase in part-time equivalents. Alongside this, since our reforms, we have seen a percentage increase in Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) grant.
The Journey to a Million provides opportunities for more students to experience the benefits of studying for a higher education level qualification. Welsh Government’s ambition has always been to attract more students from across the UK and the globe to come and study in Wales. Our universities are an ideal location for study, set within a country of outstanding natural beauty, they also perform well in student satisfaction surveys, including the well-established and respected National Student Survey (NSS).1
We have seen student number trends increase over the past years and this is forecast to continue as the numbers applying to higher education via UCAS reaches a million students. The pandemic has brought its own challenges, and as we continue in the recovery from it, higher education providers and students will encounter further challenges as well as playing an important role in the country’s recovery in the years to come. Recent and future reforms to the sector will see the landscape change further, but what will be crucial will be ensuring all students are properly supported to help them all reach their potential and contribute to the wider community and economy.